This invention is concerned with a process of recovering useful animal feed supplements with some trace elements from saline waters such as oil and gas field brine wastes, seawater or effluent from a seawater desalination plant or other inland saline waters. It also involves the production of a purified brine and complementary thereto results in the disposal of a waste stream with a method that is environmentally safe. Oil and gas field brines result from oil and gas field operations in the production and handling of crude oil and natural gas. The quantities of brines thus produced can be substantial. Various methods of disposal of these brines have been attempted and a discussion of these various methods is set forth in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 727,804, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,533, of which applicant is a coinventor.
The process disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 727,804 is one method of producing useful products from brine; however, it involves a significant capital investment in equipment and the consequent high cost of operation.